FA and Met Police to face criticism in Wembley disorder report
Police chiefs are braced for criticism as a review is published on the Wembley supporter chaos that threatens British hopes of hosting the 2030 World Cup.
Both the Met Police and the Football Association came under fierce attack immediately after the disgraceful scenes in and around the stadium at the Euro 2020 final.
The FA has already been sanctioned by Uefa over the disorder and England must play their next home European competition game behind closed doors. However, the Met Police has also been scrutinised in detail in Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s five-month independent review into security failings.
Findings to be published this morning will be the first definitive account of the chaos on July 11 that overshadowed England’s first major final since 1966. Prior to Italy’s European Championship triumph, fans burst through security to get inside the ground after tens of thousands arrived without tickets.
In the immediate aftermath, the FA told the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that it wanted “to ensure that lessons are learnt and such disgraceful scenes are never able to be repeated”.
The independent report has interrogated potential failings by the FA, police and Brent Council. The review looked at the planning and preparedness of the FA and its delivery partners to identify “issues and gaps”, and assessed the adequacy of the response to events inside and outside the stadium.
In addition to the FA, the review was given scope to speak to the Met Police, the Greater London Authority, the Safety Advisory Group for the stadium, the DDCMS and tournament organisers Uefa.
The fan chaos was disastrous timing, given the UK and Ireland are considering a bid for the centenary World Cup, with a feasibility study ongoing. Nigel Huddleston, the sports minister, said last month he was convinced the disorder had not “put the kibosh” on hopes.
Disability access charity Level Playing Field also contributed to the review, after ticketless individuals entered areas of the stadium reserved for disabled spectators.
Tony Taylor, the chairman of LPF, said in September: “Events at the Euro 2020 final need to be recognised for what they were: dangerous chaos and disorder that put fans directly in harm’s way.”
LPF said one disabled supporter reported being “hijacked” by a ticketless individual impersonating a steward in order to gain entry.